Lost And Insecure
by Agent Gibbs
Summary: Set in my "What If?" Universe, after "Bully." It's Sophomore Year, and Ari DiNozzo has his sights set on an Israeli Exchange Student named Sara. Title from "You Found Me" by The Fray. Possible Songfic. "T" b/c I'm paranoid. R&R? Please?
1. Departure & Arrival

It was an unusually cool July for Tel Aviv, the high temperatures only reaching at most 82 in the afternoon and at least 65 at night... And Mossad Director Malachi Ben-Gidon was stuck outside in it. He was escorting his goddaughter Sara Bodnar to the airport, having signed off on her request to participate in the Foreign Exchange Program until she graduated high school. He was not, however, aware of her ulterior motives for signing up for the program. She wanted to escape, if just for a few years, the torture that a Mossad Officer named Halevi had been putting her through to "toughen her up." Though Malachi had ordered it stopped, Officer Halevi persisted, and close to the end of June, Sara approached Malachi about the Program.

-Flashback-

_Thursday, June 27, 2030._

_The end of the day was fast approaching, and Sara had to act fast. She had the papers with her that Malachi needed to sign, and they needed to be returned by the second week of July for her to be considered for the program. When she saw Halevi leaving Malachi's office, she took her shot. She darted into the office while he had his back turned, ensuring she wouldn't be seen. Halevi slammed the door shut, and Sara cleared her throat._

_Malachi grunted, expecting to hear someone telling him that the Director of NCIS was calling for him. Instead, Sara spoke._

_"I have some papers for you to sign," she said._

_"What are these 'papers' for?" Malachi asked._

_"The Foreign Exchange Student Program."_

_"Let me see them." Sara looked nervous as she handed Malachi the papers, watching as he read them over._

_"Washington, D.C.," he said, looking up. "Why Washington, D.C.?"_

_"They selected the city," Sara said, not entirely truthfully. She requested D.C.  
_

_"And the family that will be 'hosting' you?"_

_"The Deputy Director of NCIS, Timothy McGee." She requested that, too.  
_

_Malachi nodded. "Are you going to stay out of trouble?"_

_"Trouble finds me. You know that."_

_"Just stay away from that demon spawn Ari DiNozzo." And with that, Malachi signed the pages he needed to sign. "Sara, is Halevi leaving you alone?"_

_"No. If anything, he has gotten worse."_

_In a stream of profanity, Malachi went to find Halevi. Enough was enough._

-End Flashback-

At the Ben-Guiron Airport, Malachi was behaving like a nervous father, something which Sara found both hilarious and annoying.

"You behave," Malachi said, going through the terminal.

"I always do," Sara quipped. With that, she smiled, gave Malachi a hug, and boarded the plane that would take her to Reagan International, Washington, D.C., and a fresh start.

...-_-...

After a 20-hour flight from Israel, Sara's plane touched down on the tarmac at Reagan International Airport. She made her way to baggage claim, getting the feeling that she was being watched. When the unfortunate soul that was watching Sara approached her, he wound up on his back. The poor soul happened to be Deputy NCIS Director Timothy McGee.

"I can only guess that you're Sara Bodnar," McGee said, getting back to his feet and dusting himself off.

"I am," Sara replied. "And you must be Deputy Director McGee."

McGee nodded. "I am. Welcome to Washington."

"_Toda._ And I'm sorry about-"

"Don't worry about it. I've taken worse."

Sara nodded, grabbed her luggage and headed out the terminal.

"You're going the wrong way," McGee said. "Passport and Customs is back the other way!"

Sara wheeled around and walked to where McGee was pointing. An excruciatingly slow hour later, Sara was cleared through Customs and following McGee out of the airport to a new life.


	2. Homecoming

**_I sped up the timeline a bit. This was originally Chapter 1, but the Sara character needed a backstory, so this is now Ch. 2. Read, enjoy, and review._**

* * *

_Homecoming Dance_

Sara was still adjusting to being in the United States, grateful that Malachi had allowed her to participate in the Foreign Exchange Program, despite her ulterior motives for signing up for the Program, which Malachi still didn't know about.

She breathed a sigh of relief and looked around the packed gym, still wondering (As she had all week) why American students put so much stock into this thing called "Homecoming." Sure, it was an excuse for her to cut loose, but some of the student body took it too far, she thought, like the majority of the football team. She thought of those few as morons, and while some of them treated her like she was a disease (She said a thousand times that just because she was Israeli, she was not a terrorist, yet they never listened), one did not. All she knew was that he was the quarterback for the football team. She surveyed the gym again, wondering why she had even come to the Homecoming Dance.

But soon she found her feet moving, not to the door, but to the DJ booth. She had a song she wanted to hear, one that made her feel safe. Little did she know, but she was being watched... by one Ari DiNozzo.

Ari watched Sara move across the floor to the DJ booth, becoming entranced by her movements, and a few of the guys on the football team started ribbing him about it.

"There's no way, DiNozzo," one of them said.

"I'll bet each of you twenty bucks," Ari said, "That I can get her to dance with me by the end of the night."

"You're on," the other players said.

Ari tugged at his tie and walked over to where Sara was at. He stole a glance at her, giving a quick smile. She smiled back, and soon, they were talking.

"_Shalom,_" Ari said. "You new around here?"

"Yes," Sara replied. "And you?"

"Born here. Mom's Israeli; Dad's Italian. You?"

"Israeli by birth. My father was killed ten years ago after he attempted to assassinate Eli David, and he deserved it. Since then, I have been raised by my godfather."

Ari tugged at his tie again. "My name's Ari DiNozzo. I've actually been trying to work up the guts to talk to you since the first week of school."

"Well, Ari DiNozzo, my name is Sara Bodnar."

Ari closed his eyes started rubbing his temples. "I thought you looked familiar."

"What?" Sara asked.

"We met once three years ago, the last time that my family was in Tel Aviv."

"You have a great memory. What was your family doing in Tel Aviv?"

Ari gave Sara one of those 'If you have to ask' looks. She nodded and they kept talking, until the song that Sara asked the DJ to play started.

_I found God_  
_ On the corner of First and Amistad_  
_ Where the west_  
_ Was all but won_  
_ All alone_  
_ Smoking his last cigarette_  
_ I said, "Where you been?"_  
_ He said, "Ask anything."_

"I love this song," Ari said. "You want to dance?"

"Sure," Sara said, allowing Ari to lead her onto the dance floor. And as they were dancing, Ari noticed that Sara was tearing up.

_Where were you_  
_ When everything was falling apart?_  
_ All my days_  
_ Were spent by the telephone_  
_ That never rang_  
_ And all I needed was a call_  
_ That never came_  
_ To the corner of First and Amistad_

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"This song," Sara said. "I listen to it when I feel lost. It keeps me sane and makes me feel safe. That probably sounds ridiculous."

"Not really. For me, it's _Never Say Never._ Still The Fray." Ari lifted her chin with his hand. The emerald green found the sapphire blue, and the next thing they knew, they were sharing a kiss. They were both speechless when they broke apart.

"Wow." The word escaped Ari's mouth before he could stop himself, but the smile that he saw on Sara's face was well worth a slip of the tongue.

_Lost and insecure_  
_ You found me, you found me_  
_ Lyin' on the floor_  
_ Surrounded, surrounded_  
_ Why'd you have to wait?_  
_ Where were you? Where were you?_  
_ Just a little late_  
_ You found me, you found me_

They danced the night away, and Ari told his teammates to keep their money, having completely forgotten about the bet. When he got home, it was obvious that a spark had been ignited in his heart. Sara's heart was also fluttering when the dance ended. They did not yet know it, but this chance meeting (Reunion, if you prefer) was written in the stars.

_**Review?**_


	3. Making Plans For Friday Night

Sara woke up the next morning, still on Cloud 9 because of her kiss with Ari. He was in her head, and she was pretty sure that she was in his. She looked at her watch: 1200. She was about to head downstairs when her phone chimed. '_It has to be Ari,_' she thought. With a small smile, she opened and read the message.

"Boker tov_, Sara. It's Ari._"

"Boker tov_. I didn't expect to hear from you so soon._"

"_Surprise. What are your plans for Friday?_"

"_Don't you have a game on Friday?_"

"_Never the week after Homecoming._"

"_I have no plans that I know of. What did you have in mind?_"

"_Dinner and a movie?_"

Somewhere in the McGee household, someone called Sara's name.

"_Can we talk later? I was just summoned._"

"_Sure._ Shalom _for now._"

...-_-...

Ari was replaying the dance in his mind, not even trying to get Sara out of his head. That feeling that he'd had since the kiss still hadn't gone away. He took his lumps from his twin sister Tali during breakfast, but, luckily, she hadn't divulged Sara's identity. That was Ari's job, and he was going to do it after dinner. Or so he hoped. He was sure that the pestering from his parents would cause him to just say it. He checked the time; the Ravens game was starting soon, so Ari left his room and headed downstairs.

"It's alive," joked Ari's father, NCIS Director Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo.

"Funny," Ari said, sitting down to watch the game. They all noticed the change in his demeanor.

"So, why are you so happy?" Tony asked.

"I have a date Friday night," Ari replied.

"With whom?"

"MOM..." Ari put his face in his hands, trying to hide the look on his face.

"Is it the girl that you were dancing with last night?"

"Yes." Ari's tone was mixed with embarrassment and exasperation. He didn't want to talk about this now.

"Are you going to tell us her name?"

"Ziva, let Ari tell us when _he_ wants to tell us," Tony said.

"Thank you," Ari said, keeping his gaze on the game. The Ravens were up 35-7 over the Patriots, and he was hoping the lead stuck.

Ziva looked from Tony to Ari, that assassin's glint in her eye. "Ari, step into the kitchen. NOW."

Ari looked at Tony, who shook his head, a way of saying '_I'm staying out of this one._' Ari shot Tony a look before following Ziva into the kitchen. When he got to the kitchen, Ziva gave him a sharp smack on the back of his head.

"What was that for?" Ari asked.

"You know very well," Ziva growled.

"If I don't want to tell you her name, I shouldn't have to!" Another head-slap.

"Why are you refusing to tell me her name?"

"Because no matter what I say, you won't like her."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because of her father and what he did."

"Who is her father?"

"_Was_. Ilan Bodnar. It's his daughter, Sara."

Ziva's reaction was exactly what Ari was expecting. She flipped.

"**_Are you out of your mind?!_**"

"No. I am perfectly sane, Mom. You said it yourself the last time we were in Israel: I am just like Dad."

"Maybe I did. So what is it that you find interesting in Ilan Bodnar's daughter?"

Ari thought for a second before breaking out one of his father's famous grins. "Everything."

"Ari, you sound like you have fallen for her."

"Maybe I have."

Ziva unleashed a stream of profanity that Tony and Tali could hear in the next room.

...-_-...

Back at the McGee house, the Ravens game was on as well (Mainly because the Redskins were being blacked out after 15 consecutive 0-16 seasons) and McSenior and McJunior were watching in shock as the Patriots and their new head coach, Pats Legend Tom Brady, were losing 49-7 at Halftime. Abby took the chance to change the channel to the Saints game, to find that they were doing much better than New England. Senior and Junior exchanged a look, and Sara, who seemed to be getting into the whole football on the weekend thing, laughed at the look shared. Then her phone chimed. '_Ari,_' she thought.

"_You know that my Mom had no love for Ilan after what he did. She found out about last night and ripped me a new1 :P We still on 4 Friday?_"

"_I was never aware that Friday was off._"

"_You know what I mean. Us, dinner. Yes or no?_"

"_That is still on. Where did you have in mind?_"

"_:) :) :) This little place called Vincenzo's. My dad went to college with the owner and they were in the same fraternity. We'll be taken care of._"

"_That sounds great. What time?_"

"_I'll let you know at school tomorrow. That cool?_"

"_Sure. Talk to you later?_"

"_Of course. ;)_"

Sara smiled, setting her phone down on her leg. Senior and Junior missed the smile, but not Abby.

"Good news?" Abby asked.

"Very good," Sara answered. "I have a date on Friday."

"With who?"

"Ari DiNozzo."

Abby trapped Sara in a strangling hug. "You know what this means right?"

"I cannot breathe."

"Sorry. This means tomorrow after school, I'm taking you shopping."

Sara grabbed her phone and shot Ari a quick text.

"_Thanks a lot. Now I have to go shopping with Abby tomorrow. I HATE shopping._"

Ari's reply was simple. "_YOU'RE WELCOME! ;)_"

**_Reviews welcome. Still debating how to write the next chapter: Either at school or just skip ahead to the date. Let me know what you think._**


	4. Lectures & Shopping

_**I had to do it. I had to steal the sexual harassment seminar bit from S4 (Driven) and put it here. It just fit so well in my mind.**_

* * *

The next day at school was a strange one, to say the least. The first half of the day was filled with the usual: An extremely Boring Algebra II class, a too-easy Chemistry class, and an English class that even made the teacher fall asleep. The second half of the day was more intriguing, however, partially because of the fact that for the majority of the usually biased Social Studies Class that Sara shared with Ari, Tali, and TJ McGee was interrupted by a sexual harassment prevention lecture. _This_ was a first...

"From the video presentation it's clear sexual harassment can take many forms in the workplace."

Sara stole a glance at her phone, and the text that Ari had sent during the lecture. It was suggestive, and she made a point to tell Ari off for sending what he did during a sexual harassment _**prevention**_ lecture. She looked around; Tali was staring off into space, TJ was doodling on the front of his notebook, Ari was on his phone again, and about half of the class was intently studying the brochures that were handed out at the beginning of the lecture.

"A classmate with elevator eyes, looking you up and down." Sara caught Ari's eye and he winked. This had become an all day thing whenever they saw each other, and Ari said that TJ and Tali did it all the time as well.

"A classmate shows you a cartoon or photo of a sexual nature." Really? Ari stifled a laugh and hid a smile behind his arm, thinking about the cartoons on FOX every Sunday Night. '_This lady needs to get out more,_' he thought.

"A classmate's hand 'accidentally' brushes up against your body." There was nothing 'accidental' about it, at least not since the dance. Ari leaned back and muttered to Sara, "If you're lucky."

"Physical contact can be divided into three categories. Green light includes normal behavior. Yellow light includes borderline behavior such as hugging someone or-"

Tali stood up. "Wait a second. **_Hugging_** someone is a 'yellow light?' Since when?"

The lady giving the lecture then went off on a tirade about how hugging had always been a form of 'Yellow Light' harassment. TJ scoffed, loud enough for the students sitting around him to hear, but not the people at the front of the class.

"And finally there's red light behavior such as deliberate, unwelcome touching."

By this point, Ari was resting his head on Sara's desk. She leaned forward and actually licked his neck, causing him to shoot up out of his seat.

"Another question?"

Ari had to think on his feet. "Yes. What if you smack someone in the back of the head like this-" He smacked TJ, and took a back-hand to the groin. Gritting his teeth, he continued. "Would that be inappropriate?"

"Very. Are you saying that this is actually happening?"

Ari shot a quick glance at the Principal, a man that once ran NCIS. "No," he said quickly. "Not at all. Just wondering."

Luckily, the bell rang before Ari could stick his foot further in his mouth, and he, Sara, Tali, & TJ gathered their stuff and headed up the anxious line to leave the classroom.

"Nice going, Ari," TJ said. "You managed to stick your foot in your mouth three times in one class."

"How would one stick a foot in their mouth?" Sara asked.

"Well, if you have a big mouth like TJ-" Ari started, but was cut off by Tali.

"It's an expression," Tali explained. "It means saying something stupid that you probably shouldn't have. Ari is an expert at that."

Ari shot his sister an evil glare. "You're one to talk. Your record's five. And you set it _last week_." Double head-slap. From TJ and Tali. "Didn't hurt," he lied, unconvincingly. The rest of the day passed without _further_ incident.

...-_-...

After school let out for the day, while Ari, TJ, & Tali went to the DiNozzo house, Sara had to go do the one thing she hated more than anything: SHOPPING. She blamed Ari entirely, and he took it as a compliment. But now, as Sara walked through this store, she was laughing to herself, looking at the ridiculous designs that were in front of her.

"Find anything you like?" Abby asked, after appearing from out of nowhere.

"Not really," Sara answered. "I guess I am not one for this fancy _zevel_." (crap)

Abby placed her hands on her hips. "You may think it's crap, but with the right look, Ari will be putty in your hands."

"You think so?"

"I **_know_** so." Abby nodded at the smile on Sara's face and proceeded to help her look for that 'fancy crap' that would drive Ari nuts.

_**Review? Thanks.**_


	5. Here's Looking at You

_**This is sort of a "Part II" for the last Chapter. THAT was what Sara and Abby were up to. THIS Chapter, it's mainly the Three Stooges... "Hey, Moe!"  
**_

* * *

While Abby had Sara trapped in a dress shop, Ari, Tali, & TJ were watching a movie. An _**OLD**_ movie. It was from 1942, and it was called _Casablanca_, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Ari was glued to it, but McTali were talking about the harassment lecture that they'd had to endure, especially after what Tali had to endure only a year earlier.

"It's a bunch of BS," Tali snapped, "That they started those this year after the fact."

"I know," TJ said, somewhat exasperatedly. He had been listening to Tali making this point since 5th Period, and it was a bit wearing after awhile. "Tali, even if they did have these lectures before this year, d'you really think that it would've stopped a blazing asshole like _him_?" TJ still refused to say 'Kennedy' unless talking politics or Military History, and no one could blame him.

Tali's gaze darkened. "I guess you're right," she finally said. "Ari, will you turn that movie off?"

"It's getting to the best part," Ari said. And he was not wrong.

_Rick: Because you're getting on that plane._

_Ilsa: I don't understand. What about you?_

_Rick: I'm staying here with him 'til the plane gets safely away._

_Ilsa: No, Richard. No. What has happened to you? Last night..._

_Rick: Last night, we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I've done a lot of it since then and it all adds up to one thing. You're getting on that plane with Victor where you belong._

_Ilsa: But Richard, no, I've..._

_Rick: Now, you've got to listen to me. Do you have any idea what you've have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of ten, we'd both wind up in a concentration camp. Isn't that true, Louis?_

_Renault: I'm afraid Major Strasser would insist._

_Ilsa: You're saying this only to make me go._

_Rick: I'm saying it because it's true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life._

_Ilsa: But what about us?_

_Rick: __**We'll always have Paris.**__ We didn't have it before...we'd...we'd lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night._

_Ilsa: When I said I would never leave you..._

_Rick: And you never will. But I've got a job to do too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of. Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Now, now. __**Here's looking at you, kid.**_

Ari mouthed the words as they were said, and Tali threw a piece of paper at the back of his head, where she and TJ slapped him earlier.

"Still didn't hurt." But as Ari said that, he started rubbing his head. His thoughts drifted as the credits started rolling, and then his phone chimed. He opened the message and saw it was from Abby.

"_TJ with u & Tali?_"

"_He was, but _ _we sent him to Russia. He'll be back in a year._"

"_Very funny. Y or N?_"

"_Yes._"

"Texting someone?" TJ asked.

"Your mom wanted to know where you were, so I said we sent you to Russia," Ari said.

"You didn't."

"I did."

"GAAHH!" TJ ran out the door like his hair was on fire, glad that his house was only a block away.

"I was being honest," Ari said at the look on Tali's face. The "David Death Glare" (as Tony called it) could make the toughest person on the planet cower in fear, but Ari wasn't cowering. Yet. Or ever.

"Ari, that's getting old," Tali said.

"It's not like I said the North Pole again. I just wanted to mix it up. Geez, gimme a break, eh, Tals?"

"You get one."

"One was all I needed." Ari grabbed his phone and started texting Sara. "_How'd it go?_"

"_It went fine. But I am still mad at you for making me go shopping._"

"_It'll pass._"

"_You can hope, Mr. DiNozzo._"

"_And I will, Ms. Bodnar. I will hope._"

"_So formal._"

"_You started it._"

"_What about that text you sent me during the PREVENTION of harassment lecture?_"

"_You can't expect me to say anything about that with my sister in the room, can you?_"

"_Leave the room._"

"_And miss watching 'White Heat'? Are you nuts? I'll explain it tomorrow, ok?_"

"_Ok. I will hold you to that. Talk to you tomorrow._"

"_Yeah._" Ari pocketed his phone, shut off _White Heat _(Which Tali didn't complain about), and went into the basement and makeshift gym that had been set up a long time ago. There he stayed, beating the hell out of a punching bag until he was called up for dinner.

_**Don't forget to review. Keep 'em coming; I want at least 10 before the next chapter goes up! Toda! And yes, that is the actual dialogue from 'Casablanca' in this chapter. Haters be gone.  
**_


	6. Friday

**_I was trying to work in my own "Principal Vance" thing since I started the school fics. Here it is._**

* * *

The rest of the week passed quickly, and with it came a cool front that sent chills down everyone's spines. That Friday, Ari was as nervous as anyone could ever remember, and with reason. His date with Sara was later, and he just wanted the school day to be over already, just so he could focus on Sara. But, his wish wouldn't be a fast one. After lunch, he was called into the principal's office, for the first time since Kindergarten.

"Mr. DiNozzo, I understand that you had some very interesting comments for our guest speaker on Monday," said Principal Leon Vance.

"Well, it wasn't just me," Ari said.

"I know. And I've already dealt with Mr. McGee, Ms. Bodnar and your sister. I just want to know what prompted you to slap Mr. McGee across his head."

"Demonstration for my question?" Ari said hopefully.

Vance shook his head. "Once upon a time, I dealt with four people who argued like you and your friends. Their names were Gibbs, DiNozzo, David, and McGee. Gibbs smacked every one of them across their heads, and the results have been parading through my office since Tuesday. My point is, I dealt with your parents when I ran NCIS. _**You are exactly like them.**_ Just don't smack anyone else."

Ari had to stifle a laugh. "Wait. You ran NCIS? What are you doing running a high school?"

"It was less stress. Until last year." As if to illustrate his point, Vance pulled a Pepto Bismol bottle from his desk and drank from it.

"Can I go back to class?" Ari asked, shaking with silent laughter.

"Go," Vance said, now rubbing his temples. After Ari left, Vance muttered, "I'm too old for this shit."

...-_-...

After a painfully long day, the bell finally rang, and the close-knit group of McTali (As Ari had taken to calling them) and Sari (That was courtesy of TJ after hearing "McTali" from Ari 50 times a day) made their way out of the building and to their respective homes. Ari gave Sara a quick kiss and said "See you later" as Tali and TJ did the same. Ari took off from the group at a run, because he'd had gym for Last Period and wanted to beat anyone else to the shower, especially because he had a date tonight.

When Ari got home, he wasted no time. He locked himself in the head and proceeded to go through the ritual that Tony had given him for a night out. The ritual lasted two hours, and by the time that Ari stepped out of his room (also with frequent trips to the head), he looked exactly like he did at Homecoming: Black on black, with a very bright blue silk tie. He grabbed a fedora and his coat (Into which he'd placed a couple of small bottles of water) before heading out.

...-_-...

At around 1600, Sara began getting ready for her date, with some help from Abby, of course.

"I can't believe you're waiting until the last minute," Abby said.

"I have two and a half hours," Sara replied. "That _**hardly**_ qualifies as the last minute."

"You'll catch on," Abby said back. "Two and a half hours _**is**_ 'last minute' for a big date, especially when it's your _**first** _date with someone."

Sara rolled her eyes. "Is it really **_that_** important?"

"Are you kidding? It's extremely important! You can kill with the right look!" Abby saw that Sara had arched an eyebrow, so she added, "I don't mean 'kill,' like, 'kill-kill.' I mean 'kill,' like, 'impress.' You follow?"

Sara shook her head. "Not really."

Abby almost looked defeated. **_Almost._** "Before you graduate, I will teach you every idiom in the English language," she said with an air of finality.

1815 rolled around, and there was a light knock on the door. Sara opened the door, and saw Ari, in suit and tie, with a fedora on his head, oddly enough, and holding a bouquet of flowers. When he saw Sara, words failed him and it was like all air was sucked from his lungs. Finally, he managed to choke out, "Wow. You look... Wow."

"_Toda,_" Sara replied with a smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I got you flowers." Ari handed the bouquet to Sara with a smile of his own, offering her his hand. "Shall we go?" Sara took Ari's hand, and they left, a full night ahead.

Somewhere in the house, McSenior yelled, "Be back by midnight!"

"I'll do my best!" Ari called back, the notorious DiNozzo grin appearing on his face.

_**Reviews are welcomed, as usual. I'm not that good with the mushy stuff, so... Yeah.  
**_


	7. First Date

Ari and Sara walked through D.C., with Ari pointing out various monuments and other sights of the city. As they were walking through Georgetown, the temperature began to drop. Drastically. Ari took off his coat and draped it around Sara's shoulders.

"Thanks," Sara said, still shivering. Suddenly, she stopped.

"What's up?" Ari asked.

"I feel like we're being followed."

"Nah. Who'd wanna follow _us_? And on a _Friday Night_ of all times?"

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I've walked the streets of Georgetown a time or two in my day. Trust me. NO ONE is following us. Some might be staring, but none are following." Ari gave Sara a reassuring smile, followed by a kiss. "Come on. The night ain't getting any younger."

They kept walking, hand in hand, right up to Vincenzo's. As soon as they were a block away, the scent of fresh Italian food hit their nostrils, followed closely by the sounds of Big Band Music hitting their ears. Ari's smile grew wider, and Sara started to smile a little bit as well.

At the door, Ari held it open for Sara, who took Ari's coat off once they were inside and handed it back to him. Ari put the coat back on and removed the fedora from his head, waiting for the maitre'd to show up.

"You DiNozzo's kid?" A voice asked from behind Ari & Sara.

Ari wheeled around at the sound of the voice, a hand on the knife in his pocket. "Yeah."

"Chill," the guy said. "I'm Vincenzo; your old man told me you'd be comin' in tonight. Follow me."

They followed Vincenzo to a quiet section of the restaurant, listening to him talk the whole way. "Your old man was in last night; said to expect you. He also said to give you an open bill and he'd take care of it later. Here's your table; your waiter will be with you shortly."

"_Grazie,_" Ari said. Vincenzo nodded after seeing the nonverbal exchange between Ari and Sara and gave them some space.

Once they had sat down, the tempo of music changed, from Fast-Paced Swing to _Strangers In The Night_. Sara looked around the restaurant, still having the feeling that she and Ari were being watched.

"Relax," Ari said, reaching his hand across the table and taking Sara's. "No one's watching us. And if they are, they're just jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Sara asked.

"They're jealous because I'm here with the prettiest girl in the city." Ari cracked a smile, and Sara surprised him by kissing him, causing a chorus of whistles and catcalls. When the kiss broke, Sara was the first to speak.

"_Toda._"

The corners of Ari's mouth twitched as their food arrived. "_Prego._"

"_Hai un dono molto particolare per la lingua parlata, il signor DiNozzo._" (You have a very unique gift for spoken language, Mr. DiNozzo.)

"_E lei, la signora Bodnar, avete un modo molto singolare di farmi impazzire dentro._" (And you, Ms. Bodnar, have a very unique way of making me go nuts inside.)

Sara smiled this time. "You did not have to do all of this, Ari."

Ari cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I did. I think you're one of a kind, and I'm gonna treat you like one of a kind."

"_Ari..._" The word was barely a whisper, just loud enough for Ari to hear. The smile on Sara's face grew wider, but then it faltered.

"Sara, you okay? Sara? Can you hear me?" Ari was beginning to grow concerned by Sara's silence. "Sara? Hey, can you hear me?"

Sara blinked and shook her head. Sorry," she said. "I guess I just... docked out for a few seconds."

"_Zoned_ out," Ari corrected. "And it was more like a minute."

"Was it that long?"

"Mm-hm. I was about to call someone when you snapped out of it."

"Still adjusting to all of this, I suppose."

"Alright." Ari kissed Sara again. "How's that?"

"Better. And next time I zone out, just kiss me."

Ari nodded. "I can do that."

The night wasted away, with Ari and Sara enjoying their date, with a few dances and no real interruptions. They left Vincenzo's about five minutes before it closed. They walked through the streets of Georgetown, and before they had even made it a block past Vincenzo's, Sara pulled her shoes off, and Ari started laughing. They made it about halfway back to the block that Ari lived on, rain started falling. Hard. Ari, the "Boy Scout" that he was (He never was in the Scouts, but he was always prepared), pulled a small umbrella out of his coat. Opening it amid a few expletives, Ari kept the umbrella over Sara more than himself, until they were at Ari's driveway. Ari closed the umbrella and proceeded to dance with Sara in the rain, right in front of a few people that were watching from their windows. Finally, after about five minutes, he and Sara danced out of the rain and up to the front door of the DiNozzo house.

"So, you wanna come in?" Ari asked. "At least to get out of the rain?"

"Will your parents be okay with it?" Sara asked in reply. Thunder started rumbling, so Sara really didn't have a choice. Ari opened the door for Sara then shot McSenior a quick text: "_Sara's probably staying with me tonight, b/c of the thunderstorms in the forecast._"

"_Thanks for telling me. _ _I will tell Abby not to freak out._"

Ari slipped his phone back into his pocket and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. "Crazy night," he muttered, going to grab a couple of towels from somewhere in the house. This night was just... Weird. Not only did Sara have what Ari thought might have been a flashback ('_But to what?_' He thought. '_She's only my age, so it's not like Malachi would send her into anything that might get her killed._'), but (and he would never admit this), the feeling that was nagging at him was more than what happened at Vincenzo's. He had to give Sara this: Her Mossad-inherited instincts were right. Someone **_had_** been watching them, and it was eating at him that he hadn't picked up on it. He was almost back to Sara when a voice in the kitchen held him up.

"Early night?"

"No, Dad," Ari replied. "Thunder. Lightning. _Heavy_ rain. Dancing in the rain."

"That all?"

"Yeah, actually. Dad, I think that I might be falling in love with Sara."

"Really?"

"Yep. I gotta dry off. Talk to you in the morning." Ari walked back to Sara and tossed her a towel and a set of Marine Corps sweats. "Dry off; put those on. Bathroom's upstairs, first door on the right."

"_Toda,_" Sara replied, following Ari upstairs. He pointed to the head before going into his own room to change into his PT gear. Five minutes passed, and there was a knock on Ari's door.

"Whoever it is, I'm asleep," he joked, watching to see who dared enter his room at midnight. When he saw Sara stick her head in the door, his face cracked into a smile. "I'll sleep on the floor if you wanna take the bed," he suggested.

"Thank you, but I should be going," Sara replied. Another loud clap of thunder rang out, causing a power surge through out the entire block.

"In this weather? You're either feeling lucky or you're very crazy."

More thunder. Sara looked out the window before grabbing Ari's arm and pulling him onto his bed. Then she smacked his arm.

"What?" Ari asked. Upon receiving a _You should already know_ look, he said, "For your information, _that's my knee_."

"I'll believe that," Sara replied. "For now. _Laila tov._" With that, she pushed Ari off of her and quickly fell asleep.

"Crazy chick," Ari muttered, wrapping an arm around Sara.

"I heard that," Sara whispered, still somewhat awake.

"Hmm. _Laila tov_."

And in that moment, the storm outside ceased to exist, at least in Ari & Sara's little corner of the world. Before he fell asleep, Ari stole a glance at the alarm clock next to his bed. 0100. '_This was a good night,_' he thought, before finally letting sleep come to him.

_**Fluff, jokes, and everything else. REVIEW? TODA!**_


	8. Sara's Story

_**This Chapter is not my best and is going to be about 50-50 drama-to-fluff... You've been warned. And I will let YOU translate the Hebrew in this chapter.  
**_

* * *

Ari woke up at 0400 with a start. He looked out the window and saw why: The storm from the night before still hadn't passed, and, if anything, it had gotten stronger in the three hours that he'd been sleeping. He reached over Sara as gently as he could, grabbed his phone and texted TJ and Tali: "_Storm is 2 strong. No run today. Maybe 2morrow._" He set his phone back down and tried to get some more sleep, but it was useless, so around 0500, he hit the floor and started doing push-ups, if only to wake himself up. He stopped, however, when he heard what sounded like someone having a nightmare. His eyes fell to Sara, and his heart leaped into his throat. He recognized what it was, thanks to a Marine Corps JROTC (MCJROTC) course on identifying flashbacks earlier that week. Ignoring the 'what not to do' was something he never did, but this was different. He gently tried to wake Sara up, and ended up taking a shot to the nose.

With a stream of profanity (In every language that he spoke), Ari knew that whatever this was, Sara could _not_ go through it alone. Thinking of nothing else to do, Ari climbed back into bed and let himself go back to sleep. He noticed before he dozed that Sara seemed to calm down when he got as close as he was, and with that in mind, he allowed a smile to cross his face before shutting his eyes again, his nose still hurting like hell.

It was about noon when Ari was shaken awake, and he started muttering something about being pulled out of a great dream, until he saw Sara's smiling face.

"Good morning," Ari joked, noting the time in his head.

"Good morning to you too," Sara joked back. "The rain stopped."

"When?"

"About an hour ago. And what happened to your nose?"

"I tried to wake someone out of a flash- uh- nightmare at 0500." The look on Sara's face made Ari wish that he hadn't said that. "I'm sorry. If it's a sensitive subject-"

"That is not a 'sensitive' subject, but rather an uncomfortable one."

"I want to be able to help you. So tell me what's going on, please?"

Sara sighed and started telling Ari the story, which began three years earlier, the day after Eli David had been buried and Malachi was named Director of Mossad. She told Ari about Halevi and what he'd done, and Ari stopped her before she could get past the physical and mental torture.

"Tell me he didn't," Ari said.

"Didn't what?"

Ari couldn't dare speak the word in English after what Tali had endured the year earlier. So, he said it in a different language. ".תאנוס"

"Never. He knew that if he did that, he would have been killed." Sara resumed the story, picking up at Ben-Guiron Airport when she left Tel Aviv For Washington. That's where it stopped. Or so she'd hoped.

"...That's why I thought someone was following us last night. I thought I saw him a couple of times."

Ari's face was hard to read, until he spoke. "If Halevi is indeed here and wants to get to you, he'll have to go through me first." Sensing a need for humor (Which he got from Tony), Ari closed with a joke. "You can ask anyone on any football team that we've played. They'll tell you."

Sara's smile lit up the small room, and Ari quickly became entranced by her laugh. '_This,_' he thought as they kissed, '_could be the beginning of something beautiful._'

He grabbed Sara's hand and they went downstairs, just in time to catch the kick-off of the Navy-Ohio State game, though Ari paid the game little attention, except when Navy scored the first touchdown of the game and all touchdowns thereafter. Otherwise, he was explaining football to Sara, laughing after certain questions she asked.

In the end, Navy won, but Sara and Ari missed it because they left for a walk around halftime, Ari citing that some of the D.C. Monuments just looked better during the day. And while Tony, Ziva & Tali knew that Ari just wanted to escape their ribbing, Tony & Ziva let this one go, knowing that no matter what, there would always be a better time and place to embarrass their son.

_Early morning_  
_ The city breaks_  
_ I've been callin'_  
_ For years and years and years and years_  
_ And you never left me no messages_  
_ Ya never send me no letters_  
_ You got some kinda nerve_  
_ Taking all I want_

* * *

**_Sorry this chapter's so short. Review anyway?_**


	9. First Days and Discussions

Tony looked around his office, examining the walls, decorated with James Bond movie posters (All Sean Connery), as well as pictures of his family. Ari and Tali had grown so much since Tony's first day as Director of NCIS, and that was a day he still thought about from time to time.

* * *

_Ten years earlier..._

_September, 2020._

_Tony walked into the all-too-familiar Office of the Director of NCIS, knowing this time that he was taking over control of the Agency. But before he could even get his feet up on his desk, the phone on the desk started ringing._

_"Director DiNozzo."_

_"__**Director DiNozzo, Mossad Deputy Director Malachi Ben-Gidon is calling for you.**__"_

_"Put the call through."_

_'_Politics,_' Tony thought. '_My least favorite thing in the world._'_

_After a few rings, Tony heard the familiar voice of Malachi Ben-Gidon. He sounded panicked._

_"__**Director DiNozzo, there has been an attempt on Eli David's life.**__"_

_"Put the brakes on, Malachi," Tony replied. "What happened?"_

_"__**A Mossad Officer named Ilan Bodnar took a shot at Eli and wounded him, gravely. Officer Bodnar has since been caught and dealt with.**__"_

_"How's Eli?"_

_"__**He'll live, but he will have to leave Mossad.**__"_

_"I heard that Bodnar had a daughter. What's gonna happen to her because of Ilan?"_

_"**I will be taking her in. Can you let Ziva know what has transpired?**"_

_"Consider it done. Who's gonna be the new Director of Mossad?"_

_"**I will be taking over, effective immediately.**"_

_"Thanks for the update, Malachi. Keep me informed on Eli's condition." Click._

* * *

Tony was still remembering his first day's events as Director when someone knocked on the office door.

"Come in," he called, his mind still a thousand miles away. The door opened and McGee walked in, looking a little harried.

"You got a second, Tony?" He asked.

"What's on your mind, McDeputy Director?" Tony replied.

"I'm a little worried about Sara's relationship with Ari."

Tony nodded, rising to his feet. "I know what you mean, Tim. Ari's grades are sliding a bit, and I'm starting to wonder what would have happened if Ilan Bodnar never would have taken that shot at Eli. Would Ari and Sara have ever met?"

"Maybe," McGee answered. "You said yourself that Ari is just like you when it comes to taste in women-"

"That's _**real**_ nice, using what i told you against me."

"Just think about it. If Bodnar hadn't shot Eli, those two would have just met later, instead of in high school. Ari joins the Marines, is stationed in Israel..."

Tony held up his hand. "You made your point, McGoo. Ziva still isn't sold on it, but this relationship's been good for Ari. Hell, you've noticed."

"Yeah, I have. It's been good for Sara too. I just wish they'd tone it down a bit."

"You talking about the Prevention Of Sexual Harassment lecture?"

McGee nodded. "I still can't believe Ari got away with that. OR with slapping TJ in front of Leon Vance."

Tony had to stifle a laugh as he remembered being told that an old Director of NCIS was the principal of the high school he sent his kids to. Finally, he said, "Tim, Ari got away with that because Vance has seen it plenty of times, when he was our boss."

"Okay, that's a point."

"Ya think? Now get back to work, McSenior."

McGee mock-saluted and left Tony's office with a laugh crossing his face as Tony threw a wadded-up ball of paper at his head. The door closed before the paper hit its mark, so Tony crossed the room to pick it up. He read it over, laughing because it was some memo about a fire drill the next Tuesday.

_**Felt this might have been necessary, to let Tony and McSenior discuss the relationship. Review? Toda.**_


End file.
